CHAPTER 342
After nearly thirty minutes, Arianna stood up, retrieved a neatly folded white janitor's uniform from her bag, and carefully put it on. Smoothing it out to make sure she looked convincing, she adjusted her disguise, grabbed her cleaning supplies, and stepped out of her room.
She stopped in front of room 502, slipped on a surgical mask to complete the appearance, and knocked briskly on the door.
“Excuse me,” she said, her voice muffled but professional.
“I’m here to collect the dishes.”
The door creaked open after a noticeable delay.
Just as she anticipated, the bodyguard looked visibly unwell. His face was ashen, and beads of sweat clung to his forehead. He clutched his stomach tightly, his hunched posture betraying just how much pain he was in.
As Arianna stepped inside, the bodyguard squinted at her, clearly suspicious.
However, before he could take a good look, another wave of stomach cramps hit him hard. Gritting his teeth, he gestured impatiently toward the dishes on the bedside table and barked,
“Grab them and go!”
Not wasting another second, the man stumbled toward the adjoining bathroom, slamming the door shut and locking it behind him.
Arianna’s lips curled into a triumphant smile, but she knew she had only a small window of opportunity. Time was ticking, and she had to act swiftly. The bodyguard won’t be gone for long.
Arianna walked up to the hospital bed, feeling a heavy weight in her chest as she took in the scene. Renee was restrained, her fragile body almost merging with the bright white sheets. The only thing visible was her pale, blank face, and her sunken eyes stared lifelessly at the ceiling, completely unfocused.
Leaning in a bit, Arianna reached out and waved her hand gently in front of Renee’s face. In a calm, gentle tone, she said,
“Hi, Ms. Levy. Can you hear me?”
Renee didn’t respond at all. Her expression stayed unchanged, her eyes locked in place as if Arianna wasn’t even there. She didn’t blink or show any sign of acknowledging the words, looking like a doll caught in a moment.
Arianna’s forehead creased with worry as she felt a surge of concern. She had expected Renee to be distant, but this level of disconnection was more than she had feared.
*How can I help her if she doesn’t even know I’m here?* Arianna thought, biting her cheek in frustration.
But then she recalled the day before—how Renee had reacted when Selby’s parents were brought up. Even in her catatonic state, there had been a brief flash of emotion, a hint of agitation that showed she wasn’t completely gone.
*If anyone could pull her back from this darkness,* Arianna thought, *it’s Selby.*
Arianna couldn’t conjure Selby out of thin air, but she refused to give up. Her lips pressed into a firm line as she considered her options. Desperate times call for desperate measures, she thought resolutely.
Pulling out her phone, Arianna quickly searched for the news article about Selby’s confession. Once she found it, she positioned the screen carefully in front of Renee’s vacant eyes.
Her voice was soft but steady as she asked, “Ms. Levy, do you remember Professor Cornwell?”
A subtle tremor rippled through Renee’s eyelashes, so faint it might have gone unnoticed, but Arianna caught it immediately.
She’s responding!
Encouraged, Arianna pressed on, her tone laced with urgency.
“Ms Levy, Professor Cornwell is at the centre of a massive scandal. He’s confessed to things he didn’t do to protect you. Right now, he’s in serious trouble because of it. Would you be willing to come forward and share the truth about what happened?”
Renee remained silent, but Arianna’s persistence was paying off. She noticed a faint shift in Renee’s expression—her dazed, vacant eyes slowly beginning to sharpen, focusing on the phone screen in front of her.
Arianna continued to hold the phone steady, her heart pounding with a mix of hope and determination. It wasn’t much, but it was a start.
A flicker of distress emerged in Renee’s eyes, and her body began to twitch weakly against the restraints. Her voice, cracked and hoarse, barely formed the words,
“Take me to… Take me to s-see h-him.”
Arianna froze, uncertainty flashing across her face.
Getting Renee out of the facility would undoubtedly trigger an alarm. It would alert Selby’s parents, placing not only Renee but Arianna herself in grave danger. The ripple effect could shatter her entire plan and render all her efforts futile.
But Renee’s distress only deepened. Tears began streaming down her pale cheeks as she whispered,
“Please…take me to him. I’m…b-begging you…”
Arianna’s heart clenched at the sight of Renee’s desperation. Closing her eyes for a moment, she inhaled deeply, her mind racing through the risks.
When her eyes opened again, they shone with determination. Her hands curled into fists as resolve replaced hesitation.
“Alright,” Arianna said firmly.
“I’ll take you to see him.”
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